The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Information hiding refers to a programming design process where the details of an object or a function are hidden.
There are several purposes for information hiding. First, not all details are necessary for the operation of a program. Details concerning implementations of program tasks can be hidden without affecting the performance of the program. Conversely, however, providing all the details of implementation and other functions definitely does increase the complexity of operating a program. Thus, information hiding reduces the complexity of an operational program. This is beneficial for the user, especially those for whom the mechanics of program operation are arcane. As with driving a car, one does not need to know everything about a computer program in order to use it.
Second, information hiding facilitates a process called encapsulation—combining elements to create a larger element. For example, a programming procedure is a form of encapsulation because it combines a series of instructions. Encapsulation allows a computer programmer to focus on the larger element without having to contend with its myriad unnecessary details. The object-oriented programming relies on encapsulation. Thus, information hiding is also an important facet of this type of programming.
Finally, information hiding can be used to hide programming details that otherwise might be altered. If unseen, information is less likely to be intentionally or unintentionally altered.